Meet Eunice

Eunice is my best friend in Mpepo and main counterpart.  I came to know her through the clinic where she volunteers as an adherence counselor, helping the HIV positive people of our area to obtain and take their medicine correctly. She also co-coordinates 3 STAR Circles, which is a group who seeks to learn positive living skills, for example: village banking, community gardening, nutrition. Unlike many people inflicted with HIV, Eunice is very open about her status, thus being a model for positive living.   Eunice is very active in the Seventh Day Adventist Church, and served as their treasurer for 5 years.

 As we worked in the same office together at the clinic, we had the opportunity to talk weekly and I found that, not only could she understand my accent, but she is a very open and direct person in her speech.  For example, she didn’t hesitate to tell me about the detrimental beliefs in witchcraft which keep people from seeking medical treatment.  She was married to a man from Zimbabwe and lived there for a time so her world view is broader than most villagers.   She is very trustworthy with money.  Besides budgeting her own money exceptionally well (the staff even ask her for loans!), she is a good guardian of the STAR Circles and Church’s monies.

When I needed to choose someone to bring to a PEPFAR (HIV) training, Eunice was my first choice.  Together, we founded an umbrella organization to plan and coordinate HIV prevention efforts in Mpepo, we wrote two grants—one for World AIDS Day 2010 and the other for Hand Pumps  for the Star Circles’ community gardens.

The vegetable garden is Eunice’s  favorite get-away:  she goes before work and waters or hoes or weeds or plants all year round. In addition to the traditional vegetables of kale, tomatoes, onions and okra,  Eunice planted the lettuce seeds which were sent to me and harvested seeds to continue to supply the Peace Corps Volunteers with salad.  She is the best farmer I know. .  During the dry season, she must scoop up 8 buckets of water from the nearby stream for each bed planted.   It was my visits to her garden which gave me the idea to introduce irrigation pumps for people with HIV.

Before leaving the village, I asked Eunice to write her life to share with you on my blog.  This is what she wrote:

I am Eunice Chikoye, a widow with five children:  one boy and four girls- Zambian by nationality living in Mpepo village, Mpepo Chiefdom, Mpika District in the Northern Province.  I am 54 years old and living positively, which means with HIV virus.  My husband died 21 March, 2004 after a long illness and suffered from TB.  He was tested for the virus: unfortunately, he died before knowing his status, although he suspected it.

 The situation did put me in suspicion and this thought forced me to get tested before my husband died. After his burial, I went back to the hospital and received the results.  I was told that I was HIV positive and asked to be put on ARV drugs.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t manage since I needed to pay K40,000 ($10) every month for the drugs.  I had no one to support me financially so I waited until he drugs became available for free in 2005.

My oldest daughter had by then completed school and teacher’s college and began to support me financially for my transport to and from the hospital for refilling.  The entire family has been encouraging and reminding me to take my medicine at the right time.  The children also help with the work at our small farm and garden.  My youngest 2 girls are still in school.  I worry that I cannot produce enough income fo save something at the bank.  They are very bright so I worry about being able to pay their school fees for higher education.   Being a small scale farmer I wish other people to come in so that my children will be able to finish school and this will be for their freedom in live and the prosperity of the nation. 

I am a garden farmer and hope to go into poultry farming.  This needs manpower and a good financial standing.  That is why I am appealing to anybody to assist me in this journey in order to cross the bridge to the other end.  May God open windows for me and my family.